This invention is related to the finishing of cabinetry and fine furniture, and more particularly to an improved device for masking hinges used in attaching doors to cabinets.
Cabinet making is an old and highly refined art. When building a new home or remodeling an old home, cabinets in the kitchen, dining room, living room and elsewhere are among the most expensive components of the home. In addition they are among the most visible and contribute a great deal to the overall appearance to the finished home. Cabinets are not merely ornamental. Kitchen cabinets in particular are used many times each day by members of the family. As a result, customers expect and demand very high levels of workmanship in the finished cabinets. These high levels of workmanship are expected in the fit of the cabinets, and in the finish of the cabinet. A highly visible indicator of quality in a finished cabinet, and therefore customer satisfaction, is the lack of overspray of the finish. It is essential that stain and or clear finish materials be applied properly to the appropriate surfaces, and that there be no overspray of either stain or clear finishing material on unintended parts or areas of the cabinet. In order to avoid overspray, before a finish is applied the cabinetmaker takes great pains to mask areas or components which are not to be finished. The masking of those components and areas of the cabinet not to be finished represents a significant expenditure of labor in the cabinet making process. Before the final finishing of the cabinet, the hinge is mounted to the door and the door is mounted in position on the cabinet. The door is then opened, the hinge is masked, and the interior of the cabinet is sprayed with a finish material. The masking of the hinge before spraying on the finish material is somewhat troublesome. Masking tape and paper must be applied carefully to the hinge to precisely cover it to its edges without extending onto the surface of the cabinet. The masking is complicated by the fact that the hinge does permit the door to move which can both make the masking more difficult, and disturb the masking material on the hinge, exposing parts of the hinge to finish overspray.
An alternative method is to apply the finish coating to the cabinet and door before assembly. This method necessarily results in additional handling of the components, reducing efficiency in the manufacturing process. In particular, applying finish to the door is particularly troublesome since only one side of the door can be finished at a time, or else the door must be mounted on a temporary jig. Attaching the hardware to the finished pieces can also mar the finished surface. A need remains therefore a way of quickly and effectively masking the hinges during the finishing of the cabinet.